Building a news website can seem like a lot of work, considering the size and reach of companies like The New York Times or The Washington Post. However, anyone can start an online news portal today, with just a few easy steps.
Before you start building your website, select your target market, determine the relevant topics within your region and industry, and plan a marketing strategy, just like any other business. However, keep in mind that in the news business, your main product is information.
Let’s go over how to start a news website and what tools are needed to make it successful.
If you’re planning to set up a media company, check out our article on launching a media startup.
The Basics
Technically, you can start a news website in just four steps:
- Choose a domain name and web host.
- Install WordPress with a preferred theme.
- Configure WordPress plugins to expand the functionality of your website.
- Create website categories, their structure and start publishing.
Web hosting and domain name
A domain name is the unique address of a website. When creating one, try to compose something special, precise and memorable. However, you will need to pay a fee to register a domain name. And the registration fee depends on the zone of the domain and its popularity, for example, domains in the .com zone are the most expensive. You can usually register a domain name through your web hosting service.
Here are some web hosting services to choose from.
- Bluehost (price starts at $2.95 per month)
- GoDaddy (price starts from $5.99 per month)
- Hostinger (price starts from $1.99 per month)
- GreenGeeks (price starts from $2.95 per month)
- DreamHost (price starts at $2.95 per month)
WordPress Template for a News Website
Then you need to decide which web management system content (CMS) will use. We recommend WordPress as the most popular CMS that can be used for any website industry. WordPress provides a wide range of news portal templates.
You will be able to customize the selected theme using your own logo and fonts. However, make sure the theme rating is less than 4 stars. Also, check the date of its last update and the number of installations it has. Select a mobile-friendly WordPress theme so that your audience can easily view your web pages on desktop or mobile.
You can check out the themes below, which are WordPress templates for blogs and newspaper websites.
- Twenty Twenty-Two with over 1 million installs with 18 5-star reviews
- Astra with over 1 million installs and approx. 4K 5-star reviews
- Theme Hestia has over 100,000 installs and 460 5-star reviews
- GeneratePress with 500,000 installs and 1,328 5-star reviews
- NewsPaperly has 1,000 installs and 1 5-star review
Web hosts usually offer an option to automatically configure WordPress for your website for an additional fee, so you can save time and use this option .
WordPress Plugins for News Websites
After setting up the CMS with your favorite template, add WordPress plugins that are essential specifically for your type of website and industry .
Here is a list of ten essential WordPress plugins for news websites and blogs that we recommend.
- Ultimate Blocks
- Gravitec Web Push Notifications
- WP Latest Posts
- XML SitemapStay on top of the latest news from around the world. However, try not to use themes from other websites, but even if you do, find your unique and creative way to sound fresh.
- Include multimedia content such as images, audio, and/or video. Media content is king now, so consider supplementing your website with a YouTube channel.
- Use captivating headlines to stand out and match your readers’ interest. The catchy headline will definitely increase clicks on your posts on Google Search, Google News, newsletters, and push notifications you send out.
- Add links to related articles on your website and to trusted sources. Your articles should include proven information, so make sure you are aware of what is really happening in your industry and add links to the information sources you use.
- Meet SEO requirements. Learn more about how to meet these requirements in Google’s guide.
- Email marketing platforms . Set up a contact form on your website to collect email addresses from subscribers. Email marketing is a powerful tool for informing a loyal audience about the most important events, updates, and services. If you’re new to email marketing, take a minute to read how to send emails to multiple recipients.
- Web push notifications. This technology makes it possible to inform subscribers about breaking news, the latest updates and new articles. Once you have installed a push notification plugin, your subscriber base will build automatically. Learn how to send push notifications.
- Social networks. Let your readers join your social media profiles by adding Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter buttons. Also, add social media buttons to share posts. This will help you distribute your content further and build your social media influence. In addition, social signals improve SEO indicators.
- Call to action. CTA buttons won’t generate returning visitors, but they can increase the time a person spends on your website if you’re linking to another article. On top of that, CTA is your opportunity to drive visitors to paid services like online courses and paid subscriptions.
- To create a news website, register a domain name, select a web hosting service, set up WordPress with a relevant theme, and install the most important plugins.
- Decide your target market and website categories, and build your structure.
- Focus on content quality, uniqueness, and its value to your readers.
- Follow SEO guidelines when creating content for a website.
- Start publishing news, stories, and reviews relevant to your industry.
- Set up forms to collect contact information from your readers, so you can send them promotional and/or informational emails.
- Use the Call-to-Action and Recent/Related buttons Post blocks to increase the time you spend on t your website.
- Install push notifications to communicate with your audience instantly and ask them to return to your website.
- Cr Eat profiles on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) .Add social media buttons to web pages to share content.
- Promote your website through content curation platforms, social media and online communities.
- Monetize your website with Google AdSense and attract sponsors/investors from your industry.
- Create paid content for profit: offer online courses, downloads, and research.
Promotion
A news website has specific promotional tools compared to news platforms. eCommerce, such as content curation tools. like Flipboard, Pocket, and Feedly, and news aggregators like Google News and Apple News. Also, you can find new readers by participating in online communities like Facebook groups, Quora, and Reddit. You can find even more promotional strategies in our articles “How to Promote a Blog Post” and “Unorthodox Ways to Get Visitors to Your Website”.
In addition to attracting new visitors, website owners news outlets should focus on getting subscribers to return to their content. This way, you will build your loyal audience and ensure that visitors return to your website.
Tools for the job:
Making a profit
You can make a profit from your website news through the use of banner advertising/sponsorship and by creating a paid subscription membership website. In the latter case, you will need to choose a paid solution.
You can start looking for investors/advertisers even before launching your website. If they are enthusiastic about your idea and business plan, you will get resources for business development. Once you’ve published your content, reach advertisers in your target market or related industries. While establishing the authority of your website, set up Google AdSense on your web pages. This may not generate significant revenue initially, but it will start to monetize. Once your website influence and traffic start to grow, your popularity will attract more advertisers.
In addition to finding advertisers, you can also provide paid content for your readers. You have to analyze what topics are in demand, what exclusive information can be valuable to your audience. Additionally, you can create paid products such as online courses and downloads or provide research on your industry for a fee.
Overview
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